Leonardo's Last Supper

An allegorical interpretation by Pier Tulip

Looking at the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci you will be fascinated by the
rhythm of the composition, with the harmonic distribution of the Apostles around Jesus, of which is
also quite easy to identify the pattern: the Apostles, in communicating their emotions and reactions
for the announcement of the betrayal, are grouped into four groups of three with Jesus at the
center.
A choice artistically impeccable, harmonious, lively and choral.
Many authors have, however, tried to locate in this masterpiece something mysterious and
hidden, as if Leonardo wanted to tell us something different from the description of the Gospel.
A great fanfare grew a few years ago about the hypothesis proposed by Dan Brown of a
woman disciple, identifying the mythical Holy Grail in the womb of the Magdalene that would
generate a descendant of the divine character of the Gospel.
As this reading of the American novelist is fascinating, it does not stand up to careful
observation. We will see, in fact, that this thesis will appear at the end pretty lame because
Leonardo wanted to tell us something very different.
The character identified by Dan Brown is at the immediate right of Jesus.
In fact, mainly because he appears
in an inclined position and because
clearly he is the youngest of all the
guests, he immediately makes us
suspect that this is the disciple whom
Jesus loved, described by John resting
on the breast of Jesus, but, with that
attitude, he should be at the left of Jesus
and not at the right, as, in fact, was
represented in nearly all other paintings
of the Last Supper:

But not so in Leonardo.

Which may be the reason for this choice of Leonardo absolutely nonconformist?
Certainly the great master from polyvalent genius wants to send a message that plays the
main core of the evangelical characters in an alternative way to the normal exegesis and its
canonical representation.

At right a graphic elaboration by ArTisAll

Anyone who has read any of my previous articles knows that I consider the Gospel
description a completely allegorical tale, whose allegory, though still present, is overshadowed by
posthumously inserts with apologetic intent of a religion that was not the original one.
But it is not necessary to speak here of this, however, if you keep in mind that many
evangelical descriptions are allegorical.
Those who still did not suspect a Gospel narrative in allegorical astrological key can meditate
on this topic by reading, in this site, the article The Gospels were (and are) allegorical stories .
If you accept that Jesus allegory represents the Sun, it is also immediate to associate the
twelve apostles who are his frame with the twelve zodiac constellations through which the sun
does its annual trip, and this interpretation lends itself very well to explain the intent of Leonardo,
and to show that he wanted to tell the same allegory.
The constellations of the zodiac, twelve in number, both in ancient astrology and in modern
astronomy, form a band, a road traveled by the sun in one year and the sun, month after month,
covers one of them. Indeed today we denote them thirteen in number because in the range the
constellation Ophiuchus is included, but the ancients did not paid attention to the very detail of the
stellar grouping as dividing the entire circumference of the sky into twelve equal parts, as there are,
in fact, the months.
Each month is then associated with a constellation and these months, as everyone knows,
are associated in threes to form the seasons.
The solar calendar is however not the same as the calendar we use, because it does not
begin on January 1 but at the spring equinox which occurs in March, so the astronomical spring is
formed by months March-April-May and the summer months by June-July-August and so on.
Lets then go to look at Leonardo's work, taking into account these observations.
If the first group is then formed by months March-April-May, the constellations associated
with them, those who welcome the sun in the same periods, are Aries-Taurus-Gemini, to form the
Spring.
The second group is June-July-August, with the constellations Cancer-Leo-Virgo to form the
summer.
The third September-October-November through Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius for autumn and
the fourth December-January-February, with Capricorn-Aquarius-Pisces for the winter.
Clearly having to represent men, and their astronomical signs, Leonardo had to try, and
could not always find, iconographic associations.
By grouping the apostles in the order set he gave us many clues for a correct reading of the
allegory. The following photo with the overwriting is self-explanatory.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI

MARCH APRIL
MAY
SPRING

CANCER LEO VIRGO

JUNE JULY AUGUST
SUMMER

JESUS
SUN

LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY
FALL
WINTER

The positions of the apostles perfectly matching the name of the respective constellation, in
my opinion, are: the Twins with the apostle shows that the two twins palms of the hands, the Virgin
replaces the disciple whom Jesus loved, identified by Dan Brown and others authors as a woman
even apart from this astronomical association, Scorpio showing the sting, the balance represented
by the disciple from the outstretched, Capricorn represented by long horns with their arms
outstretched.
The woman identified by Dan Brown is not so Magdalene but the celestial Virgin.
One last question.
Leonardo used writing from
right to left so that the painting also
reflects his way of presenting his
works. In fact, if we turn the painting
we see exactly the sky that welcomes
the twelve constellations on the
ecliptic.
The slight offset between the
painting and the actual look of the sky
is due to the precession of the
equinoxes, of which astrology
ignores.
The sun along the ecliptic, the path red, from right to left
from Aries to Pisces.
That all Christian iconography is geared to astrology it is
confirmed by the shape and orientation of the Christian
churches, especially the oldest. They were all oriented with the
apse to the east and the entrance to the West, as they say was
oriented Solomon's temple, and in the shape of a cross, both
Greek and Latin. On the junction of the arms was often erected a
dome, or, in the more simple churches, apse was topped by a
semi dome.
Entering any church from the East and looking up, the
image of Christ in the background of a starry sky was often at
the center, and along the base the twelve apostles were
represented.

Who wants to go into these astrological influences related

to the Christian religion finds numerous other examples of
allegories in the book KRST - Jesus a solar myth:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICMN5AA.